Less Than Perfect
by BrokenWings00
Summary: Oneshot. For the readers of The Second Sixth Titan. The relationship between Em and Jase has always been less than perfect. Now that Em's back after five years, it may be even less perfect than before.


_Wellllll... I know I said I wouldn't be writing anymore. But I was getting a lot of questions about the end of SST. Mostly about what happened to Em and Jase. There's a whole website dedicated to them, amazingly, though it's kind of degenerated to an all-over roleplaying website, haha. Yeah SST is old news. But someone else wrote a oneshot about what might happen to Em and Jase, and it got me thinking. I had the ending of SST planned out for a very, very long time. And I had an idea of the futures of all of the Titans, including Jase. I also had a great deal of ideas concerning the five years between the final chapter and the epilogue. This kind of wraps things up between Em and Jase. So... have fun._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans  
_

* * *

Less Than Perfect

Em perched silently on one of the many windowsills of Wayne Manor. She had been back home in Jump City for three days, and was finally settling in. She decided at that point that it was time to drop in on an old flame to see if it was still burning.

She peered into the darkened room. There were curtains over the window, but she could see through a small crack between them. Jase was sprawled across his bed, wearing flannel pants and a black beater. She couldn't see his face, as it was buried in a pillow, but she could tell it was him. His blond hair still stuck up at the back, and on his shoulder was a tattoo of a red X. A reminder of what he had to make up for, he had told her five and a half years ago.

Em sighed and gave the window an experimental tug. To her surprise, it slid open. Bruce Wayne seemed like the type to go through the house himself and lock all the windows every night, but apparently he wasn't. The twenty-one-year-old elementress dropped quietly to the wood floor. The door to the hallway was open, and she could hear voices somewhere deep within the manor. Bruce and Alfred, no doubt. She bit her lip worriedly, hoping Bruce wouldn't find her. She wasn't quite ready to explain to him why she was sneaking into his sidekick's bedroom at six o' clock in the morning.

"Jase," Em whispered, creeping toward his bed. His whole body tensed and he was up in a flash, his mentor's paranoia triggering his reaction. Less than a second later, Em found herself pinned to the wall next to the window, each wrist bolted to the wall beside her shoulders by his strong hands.

"Jeez, hello to you too," she grumbled, looking him in the face for the first time in five years. He hadn't changed much, same green eyes, same intense expression, same darkness in his gaze. His eyes widened as he scanned her face, not quite sure if it was her. She had changed more than he had, and it was taking his brain a moment to catch up. His mouth fell open slightly as he looked her up and down, taking in the long hair, the bare feet, the jeans, the scarf, the bracelets, and he finally came back to her eyes. The unmistakable ghost white eyes of Emily Sanders.

"Em?" he choked out once his voice caught up to his shock.

She smiled, waving at him a little with just her fingers, since her hands were still pinned to the wall beside her.

"Hey," she said simply. He stared at her blankly for a few more moments, resembling the proverbial deer in the headlights. Em raised an eyebrow at him, and the gesture seemed to drive him over the edge, because a moment later he had her pinned against the wall in a very different way. His lips were hot on hers, and her eyes went wide immediately. They slid closed rapturously mere seconds later, however, when his tongue made its presence known. She sighed a little. His hands finally left her wrists, moving instead to her hips and tugging her insistently closer to him. She pushed her hands against his shoulders, laughing a little as she finally managed to pull him away a few inches.

"Wow," she muttered, trying to regain her breath. "I missed you too."

He didn't respond. He simply moved forward and attached his mouth to hers again. She didn't fight him, instead wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer.

Several blissful minutes passed by, not a single word passing between them until-

"Jase?"

Em sighed in frustration and Jase pulled his lips from her neck, his muscles going tense immediately. He glanced up at Em, looking extremely and worrisomely guilty.

"Uh oh," was all he said.

Em narrowed her eyes at him and peered over his shoulder. Standing in the doorway, eyes narrowed angrily, was a pretty young woman with long red hair and a furious look on her face. Jase backed away from the wall slowly, glancing back at her.

"What exactly is going on here?" the girl asked, her voice a deadly calm.

"You know, I'd like to know the same thing," Em muttered warily.

Jase had his head in his hands. "Uh… crap… Em, this is Barbara Gordon," he began awkwardly. "She's uh… my… girlfriend."

The look on Em's face turned instantly from suspicious to murderous. "Seriously?" she hissed. She punched Jase in the shoulder. "Seriously?!"

"Ow, hey!" Jase muttered, rubbing his shoulder indignantly.

"Oh no, no, you don't get to be mad," Em shouted. She brought a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes as though she had a headache. She looked over at Barbara, who didn't seem to know what to think of her. "Look, I'm very sorry about this, I have to go," Em said to her.

"No, wait, let me explain-" Jase said quickly.

Em glared at him with such fury that he stopped dead. "No, I have to go," she growled. She climbed out the window, shot one final glare at him, and hissed, "Seriously?!" before taking off away from Wayne Manor.

BREAK

"Seriously!"

Starfire and Raven glanced at each other as Em stormed into the main room of the Tower, seething. She stomped over to the couch with an angry groan and buried her face in her hands.

"Em? Are you okay?" Starfire asked quietly. She was eating a piece of toast. Starfire, having such a strange diet normally, had been eating normal human food throughout the length of the pregnancy. Nightwing was very pleased with the whole thing.

Em glanced at her miserably. "I just went to see Jase," she muttered.

"Oh great…" Raven sighed, closing her book and turning to face her. "Well, what happened?"

Em sighed and sat back against the couch cushions. "Well… he was sleeping, but I woke him up, and he pinned me to a wall and kissed me. And kissed me. Aaaand kissed me."

Raven and Starfire stared at her. "That doesn't sound like a 'seriously' kind of thing," Raven said after several silent moments.

"And then his girlfriend walked in."

"Oh..." Raven and Starfire muttered in unison. They glanced at each other, then back at Em. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Raven sighed and started massaging her temples with her fingertips. "Em, your life never ceases to amaze me."

"Yeah well… I'm just along for the ride," Em sighed.

"Is it just me, or were these things much easier to deal with when we were teenagers?" Starfire added. She winced a little, laying a hand on her stomach.

Em tilted her head a little. "Annie kicking again?" she asked. Starfire nodded.

"She seems to do a lot of kicking," she muttered.

Em laughed a little. "That's a good thing," she said reassuringly. "Means she's healthy."

"Yes, I suppose," Starfire admitted. She jumped a little when Annie kicked again. "And it also means she is a lot like her father."

"Why, does Robin kick you in the stomach a lot?" Raven asked dully, smirking a little. Em snorted with laughter and Starfire just rolled her eyes.

"So what did you do?" Raven asked Em quietly.

"Well I… uh… I punched him in the shoulder," Em sighed. "And I apologized to Batgirl. And I said 'seriously' a lot…"

"All to be expected," Raven decided. "Normal reaction, don't worry about it."

"But… he kissed me, that idiot!" Em burst out. "How could he do that?! I mean, he knew he had a girlfriend when he pinned me to a wall, and he knew he had a girlfriend when he shoved his tongue down my throat, and he-"

"Please stop there," Raven said quickly, holding up a hand to silence her.

"That sounds very uncomfortable," Starfire said after a moment.

"It's a figure of speech, Star," Em replied simply.

"Oh, good."

Em groaned again and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. "He hasn't changed at all since we were kids. He was an idiot then, he's an idiot now."

"Em, you don't need to convince us," Raven pointed out. "And you don't think he's an idiot. You told him you loved him before you left."

"Yeah, well…"

"Nobody can blame you for being mad that he has a girlfriend," Raven continued.

"No, you've got it all wrong," Em said quickly. "I'm not mad at him for having a girlfriend. I didn't expect him to wait around for me; I had no idea how long I'd be gone. I just wish he had done more talking than necking."

Starfire glanced at her. "Necking…?"

"I'm just gonna let that one go," Raven sighed. She turned back to Em. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing," Em said immediately. "I'm just letting it go. I won't think about him. Or the way he looks at me. Or his smile. Or his lips. Or his tongue. Or his… hands… or… oh crap."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Em groaned angrily. "Stupid Jase…" she muttered, frustrated. Her communicator started beeping. She pulled it out of her belt and stared at it. It continued beeping for several seconds before she muted it and tossed it over her shoulder. It clattered to the floor in the kitchen. Em crossed her arms over her chest.

Starfire laughed a little. "I do hope Annie comes soon. Maybe having a baby around will stop you from being such a grouch," she said quietly, a smile in her voice.

Em just rolled her eyes. "Annie… I do love that name," she sighed. "What's her Tamaranian name again?"

"Ariand'r," Starfire said with a yawn.

"You tired?" Em asked, sounding for all the world like a mother.

"She didn't get much sleep last night," Raven muttered. "And therefore I didn't get much sleep last night. Starfire, has anyone ever told you your emotions are like a stereo?"

"Sorry," Starfire said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, hey Em."

The girls all turned around. Nightwing walked through the door of the main room, smiling pleasantly.

"Morning, Robin," she said with a tired smile.

"Where were you off to so early this morning?" he asked, sitting down beside Starfire and giving her a warm smile.

"Gotham," Em muttered evasively.

"How's Jase?" he replied with a grin.

"Attached," she sighed. "To a certain Barbara Gordon."

"He's what now?"

"He's dating Batgirl."

"Oh. Weird, didn't see that coming."

"You know her then?"

"Yeah, we dated when we were younger."

Starfire glanced at him. He just shrugged. "It was a long time ago," he added. She let it slide and leaned her head on his shoulder. Nightwing smiled and laid a hand on her stomach.

"Annie's kicking," he murmured.

"Really, I had not noticed," Starfire muttered.

Em and Raven exchanged a glance, wearing nearly identical impressed smiles. "I suppose it makes sense," Em said sensibly. "Starfire's normally so sweet, her mood swings would make her pretty sarcastic."

"I'm pregnant, not deaf."

Em laughed. "Sorry, but it's true."

"I'm going to go meditate," Raven interrupted quickly, getting to her feet. "Em, you probably should too."

"Yeah, probably…"

Nightwing looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"She went to see Jase, remember?" Starfire yawned again.

"Oh, right."

BREAK

Em didn't actually go to meditate. She knew what fire would say, and she didn't need to hear it. Instead she went to the roof and sat at the edge, staring out at the bay. The view hadn't changed at all in the five years since she'd left, and considering everything else had changed so much, it was very comforting.

She glanced up at the sky. The sun was directly over her. It was noon. She must have been sitting there for hours. She sighed and fell back on the roof, closing her eyes against the sun now glaring straight at her.

The roof access door slammed behind her. She didn't sit up or open her eyes. After a few moments, a shadow loomed over her. With a sigh, she opened her eyes. She jumped to her feet, glaring angrily at the owner of the shadow. Jase.

"What?" she growled, keeping at least five feet between herself and Jase.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he muttered guiltily.

"Go home, Jase," she said coldly.

"Come on, Em," he snapped back. "Don't be like that. At least let me apologize."

"I don't want to hear it," she shouted. "What were you thinking, Jase? You knew you had a girlfriend when you woke up this morning, but you still…" She stopped, staring angrily at him. He didn't move.

"Hey, come on, cut me some slack," he shot back. "You're the one who snuck into my room at six in the morning. I haven't seen you in five years, Em! You can't blame me for reacting that way."

Em let out a frustrated groan. "Stop it, Jase. Stop trying to justify what you did," she snapped. He took a step toward her, but she just stepped back, maintaining distance. "This isn't fair, Jase! Not for Barbara, not for me."

"Em, I'll break up with her," Jase replied defensively, getting flustered. "I want you."

Em shook her head. "No, don't do that to her, that's not fair either," she sighed. "Jase, I'm not mad at you because you didn't wait for me. I mean… there was someone else for me, too." Jase's eyes widened a little in surprise. "And if you had showed up suddenly where I was, I wouldn't have broken up with him. Because I care about him, and you care about Barbara."

Em sighed again, looking down. "I won't wait for you to break up with her," she said quietly. "I mean… you might not at all, she might be the one for you. You have to give her a chance. We just have to be open to the possibility that we're not meant to be together."

"But Em-"

"Just listen," she interrupted him quickly. "Maybe someday if we're both… unattached, we can give it another try. But right now, we can't do this. You have someone. So hold on to her."

Jase didn't say anything for a while. Em let him think. She had a headache. Great, now she really did need to meditate.

"Okay," he said finally.

"Okay," Em nodded. She hugged him, kissing his cheek gently. She felt his face heat up beneath her lips. "It's still really good to see you again."

"You too," Jase said, smiling. She was still comfortable in his embrace when a thought occurred to her.

"Does Barbara totally hate me now?"

"No, I explained it to her."

"Good," Em pulled away and smiled at him, placing another lingering kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you around."

He nodded. "Bye, Em."

"Bye."

Jase turned and walked through the door. She waited for several minutes before going back inside and retreating to her room.

"Oh, so now you decide to come talk to me?" fire snapped when Em entered her mind.

"I just need to clear my head," Em sighed, hovering over the lake.

Fire frowned. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Em nodded a little. "I did the right thing, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," fire said simply. She watched Em warily. "Do you miss him?"

Em knew she wasn't talking about Jase. "Yeah, but we parted ways on good terms."

Fire nodded. Em hadn't told anyone about the other boy she'd been involved with during what the Titans were calling 'the lost years.'

"Do you think it's the same kind of thing, with Barbara and Jase?" Em asked quietly after a few moments. "Like it was between me and… him…"

"Well… how was it between you two?" fire asked gently.

"We were both… I dunno… holding back," Em sighed. "We both knew I'd come back to Jump City at some point, so we didn't really… let ourselves get too close. Do you think Jase hasn't let himself get close to her?"

"Probably," fire nodded a little. "He did look for you for all those years. He wouldn't just fall in love with someone else after all of that."

"I guess…" Em trailed off.

"Anything else?" fire asked quietly.

"No, I just need some time."

"Okay, you know where to find me."

Fire disappeared in a burst of flames. Em looked down. She saw her reflection in the lake and frowned. She had changed so much in the past five years. She could barely recognize herself. She sighed again. Those five years ago, she couldn't imagine what she would look like now. But she had always imagined herself to be with Jase, in some form.

No, Em wasn't the type to settle down and get married and have kids like Robin and Starfire. And apparently Raven and Beast Boy. She just couldn't imagine herself being tied down like that. She was too free-spirited. She had to be able to get angry and get away sometimes. She knew that Jase would be the type of husband to give her space, but she didn't want to do that to him. She didn't want to trap him like that.

And then it hit her. She was still very much in love with him. It had taken her whole life to figure it out, but there it was. She just couldn't get her heart back from him. She loved him before she even liked boys.

She found herself clenching her fists. She suddenly did not like this Barbara person at all.

"Whoa," she muttered to herself, relaxing her hands. Emily Sanders does not get jealous, she told herself firmly. She sighed. Okay, maybe Emily Sanders did get jealous.

BREAK

"I lied."

Jase stopped in his tracks. He had been on his way out of his room, but he turned around and found Em sitting on his windowsill, legs dangling into his room.

"Lied about what?" he asked quietly.

"When I said we might not end up together," Em replied, looking at her bare feet. "Because I know we will."

Jase's eyes widened a little. "Em…"

"I'll wait," she sighed, glancing up at him. "As long as I have to. And I hate that I will. I hate that I love you like I do. But I always have, and I can't change it. I've tried."

"Yeah, I know," Jase said slowly.

"She's not right for you," Em said simply.

"Why not?" Jase asked, fully aware that it was true but wanting to know Em's reason.

"Because she's not me."

Em dropped into Jase's room, primly brushing off her jeans, and looked at him steadily.

"Now you know," she said warily. "Before I go, I want you to do one thing for me."

"What?" Jase asked cautiously. He was completely on edge emotionally, still shocked over Em's sudden one-eighty. She kept her gaze fixed on his eyes, calmly reading him.

"Tell me you still love me," she said quietly.

"I still love you," he said instantly. After several moments of silence, Em nodded and looked at her feet.

"Thank you," she muttered, climbing back onto the windowsill. She was about to take off, but she found she couldn't move. A pair of hands were on her waist, holding her still. Jase tugged her back into the room and turned her to face him.

"I never stopped," he added. Em didn't say anything. She was entirely aware that she could break free of his grip. She was stronger than him, after all. But regardless of the fact that Barbara was right down the hall and she would rather be anything but the 'other woman,' she had no defense whatsoever against him. Before she could do a thing to stop him, he was kissing her again.

Luckily for her, she was still in front of the open window, so when she heard footsteps in the hall she managed to pull herself away and get out the window before he could grab hold of her again. She flashed him a quick smile and whispered, "I'll be waiting." And with that, she took off toward Jump City. Just moments later, Barbara walked through the door.

"Jase? You okay?" she asked quietly, leaning against the door frame.

Jase turned and smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm okay."


End file.
